Беседа 14

2 Corinthians 7:2–3. Accommodate us. We did not offend anyone, we did not harm anyone, we did not seek gain from anyone. I don’t say this as a condemnation; for I said before that you are in our hearts, so that we can die and live together. Pavlovo's prudence. - How to treat brothers who sin. 1. (The Apostle) again speaks of love, moderating the severity of his reproof. Since he denounced and reproached them for the fact that, being loved by him, they do not respond to him with the same love, on the contrary, they fell away from his love and gave themselves over to evil people, now he softens the severity of his reproaches, saying: “accommodate us,” i.e., “love us”; asks them for an unimportant favor, which brings more benefit to those who give it than to those who receive it. And he didn’t say “love us,” but, as if evoking compassion, he said: “accommodate us.” “Who,” he says, “removed us? Who took you out of your thoughts? Why are you pushing us out of your hearts?” Above he said: “your hearts are crowded” (“you are oppressed in your bellies”) (2 Cor. 6:12), and here he expresses the same thing more clearly with the words: “accommodate us.” And this again attracts them to oneself, because nothing arouses love more than the observation of the beloved that the lover strongly desires his love. “No one was offended” (“Not a single person was offended”). Look, he is again silent about his good deeds, but in a different way he softens and at the same time strengthens his word. At the same time, saying: “We have not offended anyone, we have not harmed anyone, we have not sought gain from anyone” (“not a single one by wrongdoing, not a single one by greed, not a single one by covetousness”), he also points to the false apostles. What does “damaged” mean? That is, no one was deceived, as he says in another place: “so that, just as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so your minds would not be corrupted” (“lest, as the serpent deceived Eve..., so your minds would be corrupted”) (2 Cor. 11:3). “They did not seek gain from anyone” (“Not a single covetous person”), that is, they did not steal anything from anyone, they did not treat anyone treacherously. He does not yet say: “We have shown you these and other benefits,” but in order to further shame them, he says: “We have not offended them.” As if he were saying this: “Even if we had not shown you any benefit, then you should not have turned away from us, because you cannot blame us for anything small or large.” But, feeling that what he said may seem difficult, he again softens (his word). However, he did not completely fall silent (from the reproof), because then he would not have corrected them; and he did not leave his words unsoftened, so as not to offend them beyond measure. What does he say? “I do not speak to condemnation” (“I do not speak to condemnation”). How can this be seen? “For I said before that you are in our hearts, so that we may die and live together” (“Before, we decided, as we are in our hearts, to die and live with you”). Such love is truly very great that, even if we despise them, we are ready to die and live with them. “It’s not just,” he says, “you are in our hearts, but just as I said. You can love and avoid danger; but that’s not how we love.” Look how much wonderful prudence there is here! He did not mention what he had already done for them, so that they would not consider it again a reproach, but he promised them good deeds in the future. “If,” he says, “some calamity befell you, then I am ready to endure everything for you. For me, neither death nor life, in themselves, are important; but to be where you are is preferable to me; With you, death is better than life, and life is better than death.” That dying for another is a matter of love is certain; but to live - who wouldn’t want that, even without being a friend? Why does he present the desire to live as a great thing? Because it really is quite great. In fact, many people sympathize with their suffering friends; and when they prosper, they no longer rejoice with them, but also envy. “We are not like that,” (says the apostle). – If you are exposed to disaster, we will not be afraid to share your misfortune with you; if you prosper, we will not envy you.” Then, in view of the fact that above he incessantly repeated the same thing, saying: “You are not cramped in us”; “Your hearts are tight”; "accommodate us"; “you too will spread”; and: “we didn’t offend anyone”; and all this, apparently, tended towards their condemnation - then look at what new method he uses to soften the severity (of these reproaches). “I have much confidence in you” (“I have much confidence in you”) (2 Cor. 7:4). “Because,” he says, “I dare to do this, because I speak not to your condemnation, but out of great hope for you.” He expresses the same thing above, saying: “I boast a lot about you” (“I have much praise for you”). “Do not think that when I say this, I speak completely condemning you, because I am very proud and boast of you; on the contrary, I say this out of concern, wanting you to achieve more in virtue.” He says the same thing to the Jews after many denunciations: “However, for you, beloved, we hope that you are in a better state and hold onto salvation, although we say so” (“We hope for you... better, and that you hold onto salvation, even if we say so”) (Heb. 6:9). “We desire that each of you, for the complete assurance of hope, will show the same zeal to the end” (“We wish that each of you shows the same diligence, to make known the hope even to the end”) (Heb. 6:11). This is exactly what he says here: “I boast a lot about you,” that is, “I boast about you before others.” See how sincerely it consoles! “And not just,” he says, “I boast, but I boast very much.” That’s why he added: “filled with consolation” (“filled with joy”). What kind of joy? “Which I received from you; You, having corrected yourself, consoled me with your deeds.” It is common for a lover to make reproaches that he is not loved, and to be afraid, lest he should be saddened by unnecessary reproaches. That’s why he says: “full of consolation, exceeding joy” (“filled with joy, exceeding joy”). 2. But they will say: “This seems to contradict what was said before.” Not at all; on the contrary, it is very much in agreement, because what has been said now makes what was said before acceptable, and real praise makes the benefit of previous denunciations more effective, destroying their bitterness. That is why he very opportunely and generously lavishes these words. He did not say: “I am filled with joy,” but “abounding”; and not only “abundant,” but “overabundant,” which again reveals the ardor of love, for which, although we are loved by them so much that we can rejoice and have fun, we still do not consider ourselves loved to the extent that we should love him, and does not think that he has received everything from them. His love for them was so insatiable! And small mutual love from those we love brings great joy, because of our strong love for them. Thus, this also served as new proof of his love. Speaking about consolation, he said: “fulfilled,” that is, “received what was due”; and speaking of joy, he said: “I abound,” i.e. e.: “I was afraid a lot for you, but you sufficiently satisfied and consoled me, and not only took away my pretext for grief, but also brought me abundant joy.” Showing then how great this joy is, he not only expresses it with the words: “abounding in joy,” but also by adding: “in all our sorrow” (“about all our sorrow”) (2 Cor. 7:4). “So great was the pleasure you brought to us that it was not overshadowed by great sadness, but on the contrary, with the excess of its greatness it overcame all the sorrows that befell us, and did not allow us to even feel them.” “For when we came to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest” (“For when we came to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest”) (2 Cor. 7:5). Having mentioned sadness above, he says what kind of sadness there was, and presents it in a greater form, wanting to show how great the consolation and joy they brought, if they dispelled such sorrow. “We were oppressed on every side” (“But in everything there is sorrow”). How is it in everything? “outside are attacks” (“outside the battle”) - from the infidels, “inside are the fears” (“inside up the fear”) - for those who are weak in the faith, so as not to be carried away into error, which happened not just among the Corinthians, but also among others. “But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us with the coming of Titus” (“But you who comfort the humble, comfort us with the coming of Titus”) (2 Cor. 7:6). Since he said a lot in praise (of the Corinthians), so as not to seem like a flatterer, he brings as a witness brother Titus, who came from them to Paul after his first letter, announcing their correction. And notice how highly he values ​​the arrival of Titus everywhere. So he says about him earlier: “Having come to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ... I had no rest for my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there" ("but having come to Troas with the gospel..., having no rest for my spirit, I did not find my brother Titus") (2 Cor. 2:12-13); and here again he says: “we were comforted by the coming of Titus.” By this he wants to instill in them trust and love for Titus. And watch how it achieves both. With the words “I had no rest for my spirit,” he shows the height of his virtue; and having said: “in our sorrow, his coming was enough of a consolation, “and not only by his arrival, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted about you” (“not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted about you”), Titus gains the favor of the Corinthians, because nothing arouses and confirms friendship more than a kind and favorable review of someone. And the apostle testifies about Titus that, having returned, he delighted us with pleasure when he told us so many (pleasant) things about you. That is why his coming made us happy. We were delighted not only by his coming, but also by the “consolation” that he received from you. What did he console himself with? "By your virtue, by your correction." Therefore, he adds: “telling us about your zeal, about your crying, about your zeal for me” (“telling us your desire, your weeping, your zeal for me”) (2 Cor. 7:7). This is what consoled and pleased (Titus)! You see how he, too, is represented as very well disposed (towards the Corinthians), since he considers their good reputation a consolation for himself and, having come, boasts of it before Paul as his own good. And look how passionately the apostle expresses this: “your desire, your mourning, your jealousy.” Indeed, they should have cried and grieved that blessed Paul was so angry with them and had not been with them for so long. That’s why he said not just “tears,” but “weeping,” and not just “desire,” but “strong desire” (επιπόθησιν), and not “anger,” but “jealousy,” and zeal for the apostle, both against the fornicator and against those who condemned (Paul). “Having received my message,” he says, “you were inflamed and they were inflamed with jealousy.” He overflowed with joy and was filled with consolation, because he touched them greatly. It seems to me, however, that this was said not only for consolation for the past, but also for greater excitement of those who fulfilled what was required. Although some, as I think, were subject to previous denunciations and did not deserve such praise, he does not separate them, on the contrary, he praises and reproaches them all together, leaving the conscience of the listeners to choose their own. And in this way, reproaches did not become unbearable, and praise aroused greater jealousy. 3. Those who are convicted should behave in the same way now - cry and weep, look for mentors for themselves, and love them more than their fathers - because fathers give us only life, and mentors give us a virtuous life. This is how one should endure fatherly punishments, this is how one should sympathize with the leaders for those who sin, because everything depends not on them alone, but also on you. In fact, if a sinner sees that his father reproaches and his brothers indulge, he becomes even more negligent. On the contrary, when your father reproaches, you too become angry with him, either as one who cares about a brother, or as one who is indignant with a father, but only show great concern and regret not that he was punished, but that he sinned. If I create, and you begin to destroy, what will we gain except labor? Moreover, the harm for you will not be limited to this, but you will also incur punishment on yourself. Anyone who prevents a wound from being healed deserves not only a lesser punishment than the one who inflicted it, but also a greater one, because inflicting a wound and preventing its healing are not the same thing - the latter certainly causes death, but the former not at all. I am telling you this so that you, together with your superiors, will be indignant at those with whom they are rightly indignant, so that when you see someone being punished, you will all turn away from him even more than the mentor himself. Let the one who sins fear you more than the rulers. If he is afraid of only one teacher, he will soon sin again, but if he is afraid of so many eyes and so many lips, he will become much more careful. And just as, if we fail to do this, we will be subjected to extreme punishment, so, by doing it, we will participate in the fruits of correction. Let's do it this way! Whoever says that it is proper for a Christian to be philanthropic towards his brother, let him know that he who is angry is philanthropic, and not the one who prematurely condescends to him and does not even allow him to feel sin. Tell me, who shows compassion to someone who is in a fever or in madness: is it the one who puts him to bed, ties him up, keeps him from food and drink that is harmful to him, or the one who allows him to drink wine, leaves him free, allowing him to do everything that healthy people do? Doesn’t this latter, under the guise of philanthropy, aggravate the disease, and the former, on the contrary, heal it? This is how we will argue here. The duty of philanthropy requires not to please the sick in everything, and not to indulge their unreasonable desires. No one loved the Corinthian fornicator more than Paul, who commanded that he be handed over to Satan, and no one hated him more than those who encouraged him and condescended to him. This was later justified. The latter inflamed his spirit and caused greater inflammation, but Paul calmed the fever and did not leave the sick man until he brought him to perfect health. They added a new one to the real disease; and Paul also cast out the one who was in him at first. We too will learn these rules of philanthropy. When you see that the horse is rushing towards the rapids, you throw a bridle on it, hold it with all your strength and beat it often. And although this is punishment, such punishment is the mother of salvation. Do the same with those who sin. Bind the sinner until he appeases God, and do not leave him unbound, lest he be even more bound by the wrath of God. If I bind, then God will no longer bind him; if I do not bind him, then insoluble bonds await him: “for if we had judged ourselves, we would not have been judged” (“if we had condemned ourselves, we would not have been condemned”) (1 Cor. 11:31). So, do not consider such an attitude cruel and inhumane, on the contrary, (consider it) a matter of extreme leniency, excellent healing and great care. You will say: “They have suffered punishment for quite some time.” Tell me, how much? A year, two, or three? But my question is not about the length of time, but about the correction of the soul. Show me (correction); if they came to contrition, if they changed, then everything is done; and if this is not the case, time will not help. We do not ask whether the wound was often bandaged, but whether the bandaging brought any benefit. If it brings the desired benefit, and in a short time, then leave it; if it did not bring any benefit, then continue (to bandage) after ten years. Let the healing of the bound be a deadline for resolution. If we take care of ourselves and others in this way, and do not look at human glory or disgrace, but, having in mind future torment and reproach, and most of all the fear of offending God, we intensify the medical means of repentance, then we will soon achieve perfect health and receive future blessings, which may we all be worthy of by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom the Father and the Holy Spirit glory, power, honor, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: